Dear reader,
I have been on my diet for a week now and the big weigh in was this morning. I felt I had done really well and was expecting to lose more on my first week. Four pounds, four measly pounds!
Then I thought about bags of one pound sugar and thought is was quite a lot.
I used to be able to lose a lot more but then I was younger I suppose.
I got up early this morning, day off from work and decided to have a really good clean and tidy around the house. That makes it sound dirty and messy, it's not but I needed to do things after being at work for 6 days in a row.
We haven't been doing so well with the envelope shopping system. The first week, we duly drew the money out of the bank and I actually went and got an envelope from the drawer and wrote the shopping list on it. That's how dedicated I was. We only spent £30.
However, week two was a debit card shop and we spent £80-it's was an Aldi £80 so we had a load of food. We just needed a few bits this week and Big man spent £30 on eggs, milk and a few other bits yesterday.
I have been eating a lot of chicken, salad, fruit and vegetables. No alcohol and no wine. I have really cut down on my bread consumption and feel a lot less bloated. I'm sure it's the bread that does this.
I cooked some chicken breasts in the Foreman grill and sliced these up with loads of salad, a drizzle of chilli sauce, lemon juice and a smidgin of garlic mayo. It was honestly the best kebab ever!
I also made some hummus by blitzing half a can of chickpeas, one garlic clove, one yellow pepper and a bit of natural yogurt. It was lovely with carrot sticks as a snack.
I made a huge pastry free quiche with loads of veg in (I guess that's an omelette really) and cut that up for work. I also made some more sweetcorn fritters with fry light oil and dipped them in the hummus too.
I feel better, much more energetic and my jeans are a little looser which always makes you feel better.
I hope at payday I can make some movement of my other progress bars. The pounds just seem to slip through my fingers, I only hope they slip off me as easily.
In my healthy eating quest I have bought a huge sweet potato, I have made soup from these before and chips, has anyone got any other ideas that I can do with it?
Have a great week,
FIB. X
"£30 on eggs and milk". Wow! I thought - A few £5 Easter Eggs perhaps? But then I saw the "other bits" bit. :)
ReplyDeleteI've been buying 18 eggs in Sainsbury's for £2 for years now, and I use their 'Value' 0.1% skimmed milk @ 49p/ltr.
I know skimmed Long-life milk is not to everyone's taste but I started using it when my Doc put me on a Low-fat diet. It is low in Cals. too, and helps keep my weight down. :)
Hi B,
DeleteHa no Easter eggs in this house! I don't buy the goodies anymore not that we had biscuits or anything in the house. I have been checking the low fat stuff in the shops and some of it is deceiving as its then high in something else. We have semi skimmed, only in tea, I have water in my porridge and just a splash of milk. I have noticed as I've got older that the weight goes on easily but not so hard to get off.
If you read this Bernard, would you mind telling me the nice walk route again that you mentioned before. A pub and the river? Thanks.
Hi Sarah,
DeleteI’ve been trying to find a wee map of the walks around Spade Oak Ferry. The lane down to the river is called Coldmoorholme Lane, and half way down is a cottage where Enid Blyton used to live. Its garden is open in the Summer. They had a map on their web site here -
http://www.oldthatchgardens.co.uk/finding.htm
The Spade Oak pub/restaurant has a web page here –
http://www.thespadeoak.co.uk/
I used to have a drink here when it was just a Pub, but now it looks a bit too posh for us walkers with our ‘muddy boots’, although there are seats outside. Don’t use their car-park as there is a sort of picnic area further down on the right (see map). The lane then takes you down across the railway to the Thames Path. You can walk for miles either way. Turn right for Marlow – fields all the way, or left to Bourne End. If you play my YouTube video to can have a little preview. It’s called ‘Down beside the Riverside on a Sunday afternoon’ here –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4h0GNqM5GY
Cheers…..B
You're a star, thank you. Hoping to get out and about this weekend with neighbours dog. Hoping for better weather than today. Drizzling here all morning. Very grey!
DeleteThanks again.
What lovely pictures, did you take them all? I like the one of the cat. It's look beautiful along there, will try it out this weekend, weather pending.
DeleteGreat weight loss- 4 pounds is huge! I love the description of your pastry free quiche :)
ReplyDeleteHi,
DeleteI just use loads of eggs in a round tin and top it with a bit of low fat cheese and some red peppers and I can kid myself its a quiche! It's quite filling and not much fat, well none if I omit the cheese.
Thanks for your nice comments.
X
Like the sound of your hummus. Going to try it as I have all ingredients. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Janice,
DeleteI have to say its not as nice as the lovely shop stuff, rich with its oils and tahini paste but then again not the huge calorific amount either. I make sweetcorn fritters the size of mini pittas and use them to dunk in. Almost as good as the real thing.
FIB. X
4 pounds is really good, I would be thrilled with that.
ReplyDeleteI admit to being really cowardly with my weight loss. The cold weather meant lots of munching and lack of activity..going for walks did not appeal. But now the weather is finally getting better I think I will start again at the weekend.
It would be nice to do it alongside you.
We have now spent all our grocery money for the month. That was £60. We should have enough to last us and I'm enjoying using up bits and bobs from the freezer.
Sft x
Hi SFT,
DeleteWould love a slimming buddy. I've spent a bit more than normal but we have loads of salad and fruit and veg so at least the diet is healthy if not the bank balance.
Would be a real boost to have you on board. Would love to do something similar to your sealed pot Sunday. Sealed mouth Sunday perhaps!
X
I agree with everyone, 4lbs is a lot in a week!
ReplyDeleteWe have sweet potatoes quite a lot, I like to roast them then stick them into curry or chilli, helps to thicken the sauce if you smush a few up too. I also have a fab recipe for sweet potato cakes but they might not be good for those on a slimming mission.
Hi TD,
DeleteI made chips in the end. Par boiled them then sprayed with fry light and roasted them. Salt and vinegar-lovely! I put some in a veg curry I made today as well. I would love to see the potato cake recipe and I could try to do a lighter version.
Thanks for your ideas, I will smush some as well in my next saucy dish.
FIB. X
Sorry, only just seen this comment! The sweet potato cake recipe came from The Guardian years ago and I think is a Yotam Ottolenghi one.
Deleteserves 4
1kg sweet potatoes peeled and cut into large chunks
2 tsp soy sauce
100g flour
1tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
3 tbsp spring onions, chopped
1/2 tsp chilli, finely chopped
butter for frying (guess you could replace this)
steam the potatoes until soft then drain then let them cool for an hour.
Put all the ingredients except for the butter into a bowl and mix until a sticky mass. Wet your hands and shape the mixture into walnut sized balls, flatten to 5cm in diameter and about 1cm thick. Heat the butter in a pan and fry for 6 minutes, turning occasionally.
Four pounds is loads! :-)
ReplyDeleteI like baked sweet potato with salad, a bit of crustless quiche (yeah, omelette!) and a bit of topping. Egg mayo is good (although maybe not with the quiche as well!), tuna, bit of cheese, beans.... Anything in the store cupboard really :-)
Jo :-)
Hi Jo,
DeleteDo you just do it like a normal jacket potato or peel it or cut it in half. The one I had was huge and I had to bash it on the side to get the knife to go through. Mum, cheese and beans is my favourite but I like a bit of coleslaw on top. Very naughty!
FIB. X